


Morii

by AwayLaughing



Series: the unseen [9]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Acts of Kindness, Gen, Origin Story, Poverty, References to Illness, Theft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-04 01:25:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11544540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwayLaughing/pseuds/AwayLaughing
Summary: Morii/mo̞ɾiː/noun1. the desire to capture a fleeting experienceMegumi and her mother both have surprisingly good days.





	Morii

Megumi dove into the small space under someone’s patio and tried not to pant too hard. Past her hole ran two pairs of feet, and she bit down the urge to giggle as she tugged her prize to her chest. Nobody ever looked down, she was learning. Carefully she readjusted her grip and tried not to stick her head out and look.

_One...two...three...four..._

 

Waiting was boring, but still she waited until 30 before she slithered out of her spot – and shrieked when someone lifted her up by the back of her shirt. She writhed, trying to get away without dropping her bag but stopped when the person holding her spoke.

 

“You know Mecchi, you’re getting a bit old for this, though I suppose actual crime is a step up from your usual mischief.”

 

Megumi went limp. She knew that voice. “Ippei-buchou,” she said, summoning her best smile and trying to look at the police officer over her shoulder. “You didn't even creak the wood, cool!" He did not smile, but he did set her down, turning by her shoulders. She rocked on her heels trying to think of something that would distract him. "Don’t you have lots of paperwork to do?”

 

“I’m on my lunch break,” he said, mouth a stern line and his arms crossed. Megumi stood a little straighter.

 

“Lunch break,” she said. “Then I should just go home-” she tried to dart away but he was fast. He grabbed her by one arm and managed to steal the bag back with the other, holding her in place. It was a little surprising, so she yelped even though it didn't hurt. Immediately his grip loosened.

 

“'m okay," she said, puffing her cheeks out. "But give me my bag back!”

 

“You stole it, Mecchi,” he said, “it’s going back to the store who will either reimburse Aburame-san when she returns tomorrow, or send it to her clan compound.” He fixed his glasses and crouched down so they were eye to eye. Megumi realized he wanted and answer.

 

"Re-re-imburse?" she sounded it out. He sighed.

 

"Reimburse - it's when you give someone money to make up for a loss or damage to something," he said. "You know, you're lucky she didn't send kikuchi after you."

 

“She’s not a shinobi,” Megumi said, crossing her arms. “I know because I asked. And she had lots of bags, she doesn’t need that one.”

 

Ippei-buchou shook his head. “All Aburame have kikuchi, actually," he said. Megumi's eyes widened - she did not want to be chased by bugs. "Exactly. And the other bags aren't the point, Mecchi. She bought it, it’s hers,” he said. “Just say your sorry, my break's not that long.”

 

“Well I’m not,” Megumi said, trying to dig her heels into the ground as he dragged her off the patio and down the alleyway. “She’s clan – she can just buy more!”

 

Ippei-buchou finally stopped, kneeling in front of her. He still looked serious. “Mecchi, you know stealing’s wrong.” Megumi puffed her cheeks again.

 

"You can't make me," she said.

 

"True," he said, "no one can make you feel anything, but what would your mother say?"

 

"Leave mama alone," she said. Then quieter. "We need it."

 

“Did you even look in here?” he asked her, voice a little more soft. Slowly she shook her head.

 

"Didn't have time, Ippei-buchou."

 

“Look,” he said, tilting it toward her.

 

Inside was some crackers and napkins, as well as things like weapons polish and lots of string. Megumi pulled away, suddenly feeling very silly and little. “But- Takagawa-san only sells food,” she said.

 

“Aburame-san bought this elsewhere,” he said gently. Then he stood and gently touched her head. Despite herself Megumi was fighting tears. “Oh alright,” he said, startling her enough that a few tear leaked out. From behind some trash cans he pulled another plain paper bag. “I’ll take this back to the appropriate people and you take this," he said, handing it to her again. "But understand Mecchi, if something like this happens again I will need to talk to your mother.”

 

“I know Ippei-buchou,” she said, "I'm sorry." He nodded and passed her the bag. It was much heavier than the one she’d stolen – and full, she found, of vegetables and meat and a sack of rice. “Thank you-” she said strugging to look over the edge. Ippei-buchou was gone. “Thank you, Ippei-san,” she said again, to the sky. He probably couldn't hear, but just in case.

 

Then she turned and went home.

 

* * *

 

 

Home was far from the centre of Konoha and its bustling markets in an area where the mountain and the wall met. The houses there were all parked on top of one another, and the electricity poles they’d been installing downtown weren’t here yet. Mama said they would be, sooner or than later since there was no clans to oppose them going up.

 

Clans, mama said, were good for ninja but not always good for cities.

 

Today, mama was out in the garden they shared with their four neighbours, working slowly. She had a giant hat and dark sunglasses on. “Megumi!” She said as Megumi came closer. “What have you there?” she peeked over her sunglasses. “And why are you so filthy?”

 

“I was playing,” Megumi said, “with the boys down the road. They got a new ball. And Ippei-bochou bought us some food.”

 

“Oh, good for them,” mama said, standing slowly. She was more hunched over ever day, it seemed to Megumi, and she walked slower than she did a few months ago for sure. “Why would Uchiha-bochou do such a thing?” she asked, a faint frown showing between her eyebrows.

 

“Mama, they’re all Uchiha-buchou, you need to be more specific,” Megumi said, taking her mothers hand and leading her back inside. They used to live up three floors, but the landlord was kind and convinced someone to switch with them, so now they were on the ground floor. It was nice – Megumi’s bedroom looked out at the tiny back garden now. “And cause he’s nice, I guess,” Megumi said. “It’s a good thing, right?”

 

“I...yes charity is a virtue,” her mother said, sitting heavily in a creaky kitchen chair. “Both Kojima-san and Fujie-san are heading out on missions in the next few days, we’ll be getting some money in then.”

 

“That’s good,” Megumi said, setting about putting away the food. The meat, she realized, was all cured or smoked so it would last longer, and the vegetables were all good raw or cooked. Mama used to work as a seamstress, but she couldn’t stare at things for too long anymore and light hurt her eyes terribly and finally she’d been fired. Since then, she mostly got work cleaning houses and keeping house for the neighbours who went away often. That was mostly shinobi, but some like Wada-san were people who travelled for other reasons. “Tomorrow I need to go to Aso-san’s, right?”

 

“You’ll come with me,” mama said. Megumi nodded – but she wasn’t sure. Mama couldn’t always walk all the way to the Aso house. “Mecchi, I was thinking.”

 

Uhoh.

 

“School starts in April, maybe I should find a preschool for you. A few months could really help out.”

 

Ack. School again. It was bad enough she had to go because the Hokage said so – now preschool? “No mama, it’s okay,” she said. “I know all my hiranga and katakana,” she said. “And my numbers! I can even write them up to thirty!”

 

She had learned that from Wada-san, actually. She used a lot of numbers in whatever she did.

 

“Exactly dear, you’re so smart,” her mama was staring out the window now, one arm outstretched. Megumi came over, letting her mother tug her close. “And you can be so much more than I ever was.”

 

“Mama-”

 

“No my sweet,” she said. “I know what I am, and you don’t have to be that. Seeing you clean houses you whole life would break my heart – you don’t want to break your mother's heart now, do you? It’s the only working part I’ve left.”

 

Megumi sniffled. “No mama,” she said. Then she kissed her mother’s cheek. “I love you mama.”

 

“I love you too, Mecchi,” her mother said, kissing her head. “More than you will ever know.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> And so Megumi (Chouji's mom) makes her entrance into the grand world at long last. I quite literally woke up this morning with the mental image of Megumi clutching a stolen bag of groceries and this is what came out of that.


End file.
